A few years ago, you couldn’t imagine buying something online.
Today, it’s a very normal thing. It has become part of our daily lives. People used to walk from shop to shop in search of the perfect gadget. Now, you can now browse from tab to tab while wearing pajamas. You no longer have to endure long lines at the cashier. The ability to “add to cart” and “check out” is at your fingertips.
Numbers don’t lie. Last holiday season, shoppers made almost 40% of online purchases on a mobile phone. Plus, 80% of shoppers used a smartphone to look for reviews and to compare prices.
Ecommerce has definitely changed the way people shop. In fact, businesses all over the world can no longer ignore the necessity of going digital.
Data from Shopify shows that there is a 276.9% anticipated increase in global e-commerce sales. With $4.8 trillion expected e-commerce sales by 2021, eCommerce continues to thrive.
As eCommerce as an industry continues to grow, business owners should step up. You don’t want to get left behind to eat the digital dust of other businesses!
The only solution is to come up with an effective multi-channel eCommerce marketing strategy. You have to make sure that your customers know your products and services and trust your business.
Ecommerce marketing strategy and why do you need it
Ecommerce marketing is the process of driving traffic that will translate into sales. There are so many strategies you can use for the best eCommerce marketing strategy.
Having a website isn’t enough. Remember that technology is always evolving. You need to be sure that you are drawing in traffic and sales. A good marketing strategy will help build your brand awareness. It will strengthen your customer loyalty and increase online sales and revenue.
Ecommerce marketing strategies you can try
If you are still new to the business industry, this will help you. It will provide you with a great overview of some e-commerce marketing strategies. If you’re a seasoned business owner, you can review your eCommerce marketing strategy.
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Content Marketing
They say content is king, and it is! Content marketing is marketing your eCommerce business using written or audio-visual content. Some examples include blogs, articles, graphics, or even videos.
This strategy works at any stage of your business. Yet, it is perfect for new businesses because of the little investment. If done right, it can help you build brand awareness and build customer trust and loyalty. That’s why it’s so popular!
Recent data shows that 86% of business-to-consumer marketers value content marketing as a core strategy. Plus, 72% of marketers share that content marketing increases engagement.
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Optimizing website and product descriptions
SEO is still a thing, and it helps businesses get free and recurring traffic that converts to sales. Ecommerce businesses aim to move up the search rankings. If they do, they can get more visitors and potential customers.
Businesses do this by providing all the necessary information in the websites. This includes size charts, customer reviews, questions, and even shipping costs. Another technique is by writing product descriptions with all the right keywords.
For example, Asos even includes the fabric type, tips on how to wash the garment, and even details about the model! When customers find what they are looking for, they tend to buy it right away.
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Social media marketing
With 45% of the world population on social media, it only makes sense for businesses to include this. A lot of businesses invest in targeted ads using Facebook and Instagram. By doing so, their posts appear to those who are most likely to buy.
Social media also has analytics. You can use this information to check your ongoing strategies and plan your next ones.
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Investing in mobile
Did you know that 67% of the world’s population have mobile phones? Like eCommerce, mobile phones have changed the way we live life. Almost everyone and everything is accessible. By 2021, expect that 54% of sales will be via mobile.
When you have a mobile app, your business is accessible to your clients anytime and anywhere. Push notifications can also inform customers when there are sales or special events. Investing in mobile is a good decision because it is for the long term.
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Referral marketing
Did you know that people are more likely to buy something when a friend recommends it? However, only 29% of consumers actually refer to a product or service.
Ecommerce businesses have referral programs. These give customers incentives whenever they invite others to buy. Incentives range from reward points, to discount coupons, to actual freebies.
Despite all these eCommerce marketing strategies, there is one that rises above all. One strategy has proven to be most effective–and that is email marketing.
Ecommerce email marketing is a strategy that drives revenue to business using emails. With around 281 billion emails sent per day, the opportunities are endless. Here are twelve mind-blowing facts about why you need to include email marketing in your eCommerce marketing strategy.
12 facts why you need to include email marketing in your eCommerce marketing strategy
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Email still bests social media when it comes to conversions and ROI.
This may come as a surprise to people who feel that social media is all the rage. Despite being decades old, email shows no signs of slowing down. It rocks the eCommerce game with an ROI of 4400%! Email has the highest conversion rate compared to social media and direct mail.
Plus, social media algorithm is always changing. Sometimes, they even experience outages. Email marketing has no algorithms at all. A social post lands in the newsfeed, but an email lands in a customer’s inbox.
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You will be able to make better and more data-driven decisions.
Email marketing is more than a strategy — it’s also a guide. Insights and data will tell you what your customers prefer and what they engage with the most. Get a feel of what they want and the more you can tailor your emails to guide them into making regular purchases.
The truth is, there are a lot of data available to marketers. The challenge lies in deciphering which ones to focus on to get the results you want.
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It’s a very customizable form of marketing.
You may already be familiar with targeted ads and segmenting customers. Here’s the downfall: social media and pay-per-click ad campaigns have a required audience size. So, if your audience doesn’t meet the minimum requirement, the platform won’t show your ads.
With eCommerce email marketing, it’s a whole new level of personalization. You can tailor email automation per individual aside as per segment. The result? Higher conversions, of course.
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It will help your brand to always stay relevant.
More than 50% of professionals check their emails more than once during the day. This means that your email campaigns have a lot of chances to be noticed. You need to stand out in an inbox full of personal conversations, ads, and promotions.
Triggered emails or personalized greetings will find a place in your customer’s heart.
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Email marketing strengthens customer relationships.
We all know how important constant communication is in any kind of relationship. It helps foster trust and loyalty.
Email marketing fuels customer relationships through e-mails specifically tailored for each customer. Since customers crave convenience, this is a welcome move.
For example, personalized recommendations and exclusive offers will make customers feel special. In turn, they can give you their loyalty.
Furthermore, email is also a great customer feedback channel. You can run surveys by sending emails to your buyers. Here’s how Dropbox does this:
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It’s great for brand equity.
Brand equity is how strong your business is within the marketplace. It’s what people think of your brand. Basically, whatever message you send out into the world affects your brand equity.
Email marketing campaigns are great for brand equity. You get to control the quantity and the quality of the content you will send directly to your customers.
Also, you can choose to include images of products that will leave a good impression. You get to decide on the exclusive offers that will leave your customers wanting more.
With a strong customer feedback system, you can enhance your relationships with your customers by making them feel like they’re included in your marketing efforts.
Best of all, you can plan how you want to position your eCommerce business.
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There are more chances of pre-transaction conversion
Do you think that every customer who visits your website is ready to buy? Truth is, 99% of first-time visitors are not. Business owners should put more effort into making the most of this percentage.
One way is by offering something valuable like an exclusive discount or freebie. In exchange, the buyer will give his or her information and preferences. Use this to tailor eCommerce email marketing campaigns for continuous revenue. With email marketing, no visitor is wasted.
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You will be able to reduce cost per customer acquisition
Reducing Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is an ongoing battle. It’s for those who want to continue earning and surviving. CAC pertains to any cost spent during acquiring customers.
Email marketing contributes to savings. It helps lower the CAC by increasing conversions. This involves making sure that most of what is being spent actually pays off. Automation of marketing processes also helps reduce the CCA. You can automate personalized email campaigns and regular updates to various segments.
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Customer lifetime value (CLV) will increase
Business owners aim to increase customer lifetime value. It’s the predicted net profit that a particular customer will contribute to the company. While there are hundreds of ways to increase your CLV, the best one is still e-mail marketing.
Segmenting according to CLV will give you an idea of your profitable and non-profitable clients. You can use this data to target which campaigns to send them. For example, you can give a welcome discount coupon to new customers. You can also offer exclusives to your most loyal and active customers. Remember, use existing data to determine the best way to encourage customers to buy from you.
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Customer satisfaction will level up.
When you build customer relationships, remember that they are the connections of the buyer and the brand. Customer satisfaction is about how content they are with what they get from the company.
Email marketing can encourage buyers to submit reviews and testimonies. Satisfaction surveys can also be an option. Some of the best practices include sending emails right after a fresh buy. Sending a feedback form after a customer service incident is another.
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Your email list is a goldmine of interested customers
Gone are the days of trial and error. Say goodbye to the guessing game. Email marketing’s gift is a rich resource filled with all the answers to your eCommerce queries.
Whenever a potential buyer opts in, they are most likely interested in your brand and want to hear more from you. Or most of the time, they just need the right push. Sending automated emails on your promotions can provide that push.
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It’s very efficient!
Ecommerce email marketing offers automation without giving up personalization. With it, you can save time and get the results you want while working less. Most of the work will be in setting up the triggers. After that, you can sit back and relax and let your e-mail marketing software do its job.
The usual triggers include following up when a customer has added items to the cart but did not check out. It also includes when a customer views items but did not buy anything.
As a business owner, you need to put yourself in the shoes of customers. Think of the many possible scenarios and be one step ahead to set up the automation needed.
Imagine a thriving e-commerce business with a stable income. Imagine the increasing revenue brought by conversions from an effective email marketing strategy. There are no excuses left on why you should not include email marketing in your eCommerce marketing strategy.
Take the leap, and watch your business grow.
So how do you begin?
Interested but don’t know where or how to begin? Here’s a quick rundown of how you can start your eCommerce e-mail marketing journey.
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Study success stories
Begin by exposing yourself to successful email marketing strategies. Get a feel of what other businesses did, and study their outcomes. Assess if you want to do something similar, or if you would take a different approach.
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Establish your goals
Before any action, you have to set your objectives. Is it increasing sales, increasing customer satisfaction, or decreasing cart abandonment? Remember, there are different approaches to different goals. Coming to terms with your firm’s goal will set the stage for the next steps.
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Explore different types of content
Content comes hand in hand with email marketing. Again, this depends on your primary goals. You can explore the different forms of content you can integrate into your strategy. Study if you have resources for graphics, newsletters, discount coupons, and insider information.
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Know your competitors’ strategy
Subscribe to a few lists, such as your competitors or businesses and brands that you emulate. Study their email marketing strategies–from the content, the automation, and the experience. This will give you an idea of what works for you as a customer. This will also give you inspiration for your own strategy.
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Choose the right email marketing software
The right email marketing platform is crucial because it will be your partner in wealth. There is a lot of free and paid software but you have to check which one will work best for your business.
For starters, make sure that there the user interface is simple and easy to understand. Consider a platform with many choices for opt-ins and sign-up forms. Also, check how you can integrate the platform with other applications that may have valuable user data. Other important features are segmentation and automation options, as well as the analytics and data reports.
Ecommerce as an industry will continue to grow and technology will not slow down. In today’s digital world, you have to keep up to stand out. E-mail marketing will give your e-commerce marketing strategy the leverage you need.
Still need convincing?
Schedule a call with us to learn how email marketing can power up your eCommerce marketing!
